It sounds weird to ask given Steve Nash’s inevitable Hall of Fame credentials.

But with his persisting back injury and his early-season struggles, would the 39-year-old guard accept a bench role with the Lakers?

“I’ll do whatever I can to help the team,” Nash said. “But the first thing I have to do is try get myself in a position where I can sustain the demands of the game. Right now my back is susceptible to those things.”

Nash practiced Tuesday after spending the past week in Vancouver with his personal trainer Rick Celebrini to work on the persisting nerve pain in his back, left hamstring and surgically repaired left leg. Before missing the past 10 games, Nash had averaged only 6.7 points on 26.1 percent shooting and 4.8 assists in 22.5 minutes through six contests.

He reported “a lot of improvement” in the past week, though Nash it appears “unlikely” and very doubtful he will play Friday when the Lakers (9-9) visit the Sacramento Kings (4-11) at Sleep Train Arena. Nash participated in full-court five-on-five drills for 10 minutes Tuesday before the Lakers sat him down for precautionary reasons. They hope Nash can increase his workload in practices both Wednesday and Thursday.

Nash conceded uncertainty on whether he felt healthier than he did in training camp. Since the season started, Nash experienced various ailments before that injury, including a sprained left ankle, sore quadriceps muscles and a stiff neck.

“It’s important as far as whether or not I play Friday to make the right decisions and not be hasty,” Nash said. “Sometimes the staff has to temper my outlook when I say, ‘I feel good, I’m going to play Friday. They have to be the ones that say, ‘That’s stupid. You’re jeopardizing the rest of the season by playing too soon.’”

Positive outlook

Despite learning his strained left hamstring will keep him sidelined for about four weeks, Lakers backup guard Jordan Farmar sounded optimistic about his recovery.

“It’s two weeks of being patient and letting the body do what it does,” Farmar told this newspaper. “After that, I’ll see how it feels and then begin my rehab. Hopefully it will be before four weeks, but I’ll see how it responds.”

After having an ultrasound Monday, Farmar received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his hamstring. Farmar posted a picture of the procedure on his Instagram account.

“It went all right,” Farmar said, who had averaged 9.2 points and 4.4 assists in 19 minutes before his injury. “It’s a little sore today, but hopefully that will speed it up.”

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Mr. Hollywood

Kobe Bryant has remained coy about how he’ll spend his post-retirement career, though his recent two-year, $48 million extension ensures he’ll play at least through the 2015-16 season. After filimg a recent commercial with soccer star Lionel Messi for Turkish Airlines, Bryant strongly shot down an acting career.

“Not a chance,” Bryant said Tuesday at a Turkish Airline event at a Manhattan Beach hotel. “I get antsy. There’s a lot of waiting around and down time. I like moving and doing things. I don’t have the patience to do that. Commercials are fine. But TV shows? No way.”

Injury update

Although he still described his right ankle as “a little sore,” Lakers center Pau Gasol believes he can manage it after MRI showed the injury as mild.